On This Day – Pete Souza: “This was one of the great trips of the year, albeit brief, when we visited Ireland in May. This rope line in Moneygall was particularly fun as people reacted so jubilantly to the President and First Lady. It was somewhat unusual, though, in that the sun kept coming in and out, and at times it was even pouring rain.” May 23, 2011

Thank God it’s Friday … and thank you for creating this space. Danny’s Mom gets me all the news that’s fit to read and I’m completely spoiled. I rarely make the mistake of venturing into main stream media because it brings me down too low. But the other day I was listening to NPR and the program was so negative and hateful towards the awesome leader of our country that I had to turn it off and get back to this safe place as quick as I could click. Bless you for broadcasting all the good that is being done.

Good morning Ms. Chips & Danny. Chips, I have a confession; when I first saw the movie Secretariat, and Diane Lane starring as Penny Tweedy- I said , that’s Chips!! dunno why, just did! 😮

Any how bringing this over from the bottom of last thread.
Good Friday Morning TOD! I hope everyone’s weekend is off to a good and memorable start, and the beginnings of many more.. 8-D

True story. My last apartment in Chicago was literally right around the corner from the Obama’s residence. I actually walked through their home before they bought it when my godmother and I would go to to the open houses in the neighborhood. Their home was my favorite, compared to the other mansions and old estates in the area. (I lived in a converted coach house upstairs from a sister- who still lives there) next door to Operation PUSH, and around the corner down the street from Louis Farrakhan. I used to tell my niece, ‘when push comes to shove, sh** happens over here!’

But my first exposure to the Hyde Park neighborhood was as a student in the mid-seventies at the University of Chicago; having moved out of the very same neighborhood Roseland, and graduating from the same community that a certain famous community organizer a few years after, attempted to organize. 😀

Did you see the movie? Tweedy was her married name, Chenery was the family name, she owned Secretariat, so the movie was about her too.

As for me and Ali, it goes like this.

Back when I was in a summer work program at the U of C before my freshman year started, I had gotten in the habit of giving blood at the local hospital. So I convinced my best friend to donate before she went away to college and she agreed. Now my blood runs quick so it never took longer than fifteen mins. for me, but it was taking at least twice as long for her; so when I was through I decided to wander around till she was done. I stepped around the corridor and I see Ali surrounded by a fawning sea of white, white coats, white skin, and he sees me at the same time. The only thing white on me was the cotton ball and tape from where I had just donated a pint. So of course he comes straight at me and asks what I was doing there, was I hurt? And I say no, I had just given blood, and the next thing I know, he swoops me up in his arms and hugs me and starts making a big deal about how brave I was and blah, blah (I felt like he was kind of doing an ‘in your face white folks’ thing, and also that I looked a lot younger than I was). He sensed that I was a little uncomfortable (I mean, I was flattered, but I was no little kid) so he hugged me again, thanked me again and set me down. And I went to see about my friend who was almost finished, who did not believe a word I said.

So the next week I was strolling by myself passing by the hospital when I see Ali getting out of a Mercedes convertible. He was alone, and so I went up to him and I said “Mr. Ali, do you remember me?” And he smiled and said “what are you doing here, are you going to give some more blood so soon?” And I said no, I’m a student here and I jerked my head towards the university. And then he said, “Oh, you’re not as young as you look!” But I thought he said you’re not as ‘dumb’ as you look, so of course I punched him and did a little bob and weave and talked a little Southside sh**. Then I told him that my folks didn’t believe me when I told them about our first encounter, and probably would not believe this so I made him give me his autograph,and he wrote something about wishing me the best in college, and blah blah, Muhhamad Ali.

And of course the notebook was lost a long time ago. But my encounter(s) with him,are no less treasured. He is the real deal!

And then he said, “Oh, you’re not as young as you look!” But I thought he said you’re not as ‘dumb’ as you look, so of course I punched him and did a little bob and weave and talked a little Southside sh**.

You are most welcome. It’s always refreshing to encounter the down home humanity of the people, most people are more comfortable with mythologizing rather than recognizing in them and relating to their own humanity.

I don’t believe you.
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Just kidding. Great story, too bad smartphones weren’t around then, lol.
Also cool how you have been in the Obamas home. I absolutely love historical homes – they have a character that newer homes don’t. Not to mention the details (i.e. crown molding, craftsmanship). I bet you never thought you were standing in the home of a future president.

Hey TrumpDoG! I swear, every word is true. And no, I didn’t think for one thought, that a Senator would even be living there! But I did know that whoever bought it had excellent taste. I loved the feel of the place even though it was more modern than some of the other places.

Thank you, Paulita. I believe you.
Muhammed Ali has and will always be a man who stood up for what he believed in no matter what!
My own father had that boldness about him and growing up down South for a little girl that is equivalent to your hero, knight in shining armor, your protector. It makes you a confident, well rounded, secured woman.
Thank you for sharing.

Way too cool, Paulita. Not only walking through the house pre- Obama, but punching Ali, and sharing these amazing and wonderful memories with us. Now this kinda makes us 1 degree of separation from The Champ, right?

Chips, is Paulita right? Do you actually look like Diane Lane? If so, wow! Yesterday’s dental adventures came down to the following: I don’t have an infection problem, I have a nerve problem. Have to go to a dental nerve specialist and decide whether I get a root canal or an extraction. Then will come the problem of a replacement tooth. I keep hearing the ka-chunk of a cash register and the resulting emptying of my bank account. SIGH…

Ha Chips! Specifically when she said the line “… and we’re going to live rejoicing everyday! ” when she had made up her mind to persevere despite the odds. Dunno why you popped into my head, it was a spiritual thing. 😀

Good morning TOD.
Jon Stewart is a more dangerous Propagandist than Fox “News.”

What????

Here’s why: If you watch last night’s segment on the VA it starts out truthful. It shows the GOP voting down funding that could have helped solve the backlog. So you think to yourself, “Oh, Jon’s got this one right.”

But then he seques to what Democrats have done to harm veterans throughout history, so by the time the segment is over you think, “Both sides stink.”
This depresses democratic enthusiasm and possibly turnout.

Plus, It is fails to mention PBO’s dedication and hard work to actually help veterans and their families every day he has been in offic. Not to mention FLOTUS and Dr. Biden’s work with military families. Both sides are not the same!

This is what we are up against—-not news, surely to regular readers of TOD. I haven’t been watching Jon much and last night I remembered vividly why not. He is a wolf in sheeps clothing, maybe? i don’t know exactly, but not good, that I’m sure of.

Stewart is not a PBO supporter; has never been. In fact I would take it a step further to suggest that he harbors some personal resentment of PBO and will not hesitate to go along with any media meme that undermines our President. But he does it in a cowardly fashion while appearing to “slam FOX News” on stuff that 95% of the public already knows. I realized Stewart’s duplicitous nature since back in 2010 before the Nov midterms when he had his narcissistic little “Rally to Restore Sanity” and pulled the same “both sides” bull chit.

Me, too, hf. I have been aware of Jon’s negativity for some time. That rally on Oct. 30, 2010 was notable in its lack of support for Democracy. The only participant to mention the election was Tony Bennet who said Go Vote.
By avoiding mentioning voting to a huge crowd Jon was doing his “dont bother both sides stink” shtick. Todays example doesn’t break any new ground.

Still it is good to point out now and then that the enemy often comes disguised and the enemy who is harder to recognize may do even greater damage than the easy-to-spot buffoons.

Yeah and we REALLY needed that type of message at that time. The teabaggers were capturing a lot of media attention and Jon had the chance to counter it but instead went the milquetoast route. On one hand I can understand – he worked for the Comedy Channel and maybe they did not want to take political sides. On the other, that event seemed to be a big waste of time.

I’m not a big fan of Stewart; even when he says something I may agree with.

Let us not forget that when the IRS fake scandal first arose Stewart was merciless toward PBO saying he is either Nixon or Mr. Magoo. Stewart is a petty asshole who genuinely dislikes PBO. Maybe his agenda is driven by the Zionist crowd. Bibi has similar contempt.

King cited Chuck Schumer’s recent claim that the Congressman from Iowa is an “extreme outlier” on the issue. King then helpfullly pointed out that in fact, his position is indistinguishable from the Republican Party position, while deriding the Democratic position as akin to socialism:
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It’s quaint to go back to it now, but that RNC autopsy into what went wrong in 2012 pointedly noteed that Republicans must embrace immigration reform, because “If Hispanics think we do not want them here, they will close their ears to our policies.” The autopsy added that if Republicans don’t embrace reform, “our party’s appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only.”

Over a year after that autopsy, Steve King helpfully reminded us that on this issue, the GOP remains Steve King’s party.

GM HF and TOD. Did you see the next item after reading PBO’s comments where it said that Alison Grimes is now calling for Gen.Schnseki’s(sp) resignation? . Dems make me sick. They are so quick to pile on before the investigation is over. Everyone is completely discounting all of the improvements for Vets under this administration.

I’m furious about that. Even Mitch McConnell didn’t go that far! I guess Grimes is going for that Creigh Deeds strategy of “I’m tough on the Black guy.” Well guess what? Just like Deeds she’s going to find out that’s not going to work. I would love for Mitch McConnell to lose in November but if this is what we can expect from Grimes then I’m indifferent to the outcome.

We understand the values of mainstream journalists, including the effort to report both sides of a story. But a balanced treatment of an unbalanced phenomenon distorts reality. If the political dynamics of Washington are unlikely to change anytime soon, at least we should change the way that reality is portrayed to the public.

Our advice to the press: Don’t seek professional safety through the even-handed, unfiltered presentation of opposing views. Which politician is telling the truth? Who is taking hostages, at what risks and to what ends?

Also, stop lending legitimacy to Senate filibusters by treating a 60-vote hurdle as routine. The framers certainly didn’t intend it to be. Report individual senators’ abusive use of holds and identify every time the minority party uses a filibuster to kill a bill or nomination with majority support.

You’re being too kind. Imo they ARE the problem. When you have reporters going on the air saying they don’t have to report the facts. An entire network devoted to Republican propaganda. News organizations lying straight out or by omission. My local news last night reporting on the VA situation but leaving out that part where Republicans cut or blocked funding. Legitimizing nut jobs and giving them a platform to attack this President. A one hour interview with a traitor who stole secrets and fled the country.

The list is endless. Don’t get me wrong I’m not excusing the Republicans who quite frankly belong in a community strait jacket but they would not be getting away with a quarter of what’s going on if the corrupt mainstream media was not so out of control and useless. I had hopes that Al-Jazeera would be a warning shot across the bow but I think you said that they would not amount to much and so far you have been dead on with that prediction.

DITTO HOPEFRUIT….DITTO…DITTO..DITTO….THE MEDIA AND THOSE BACKING IT ARE INSANE,CORRUPT AND GREEDY WHEN IT COMES TO RATINGS!…PLAIN AND SIMPLE…THE MEDIA IS NUTS,MANIPULATED AND HAS BEEN SINCE PBO WAS FIRST ELECTED TO OFFICE!

Controversy is swirling around the excessive wait times for medical appointments at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), where some veterans may have died waiting for health services on secret lists that clinics maintained to hide long delays. The revelations sparked bipartisan outrage, embarrassed the White House, and have led some lawmakers to argue that the government can never effectively deliver health care services.

But a closer examination of the problems plaguing VHA, along with interviews with veterans and their advocates, reveals a far more nuanced and complicated picture of the successes and failures of the nation’s largest integrated health care network. While veterans have struggled to gain adequate access to care since the Kennedy administration, plagued by staffing shortages, delays and funding shortfalls, the health services they do receive are the best in the nation. That dynamic has pushed many veterans into a love-hate relationship with the organization they depend on.

“Most veterans are very pleased with the care they receive, but when it comes to standing in line, they do and should rightfully expect to be seen as quickly as possible, especially if the wound, illness or injury could worsen,” Joe Davis, Public Affairs Director for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), said.